Story and photos by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – “How was it?” Lindsey asked. I had just gotten home from the Cary Chamber 50th Anniversary Celebration. ”Lots of fun” I answered. “Unexpectedly moving.” 

The Tonight Show with Steve and Howard

Tuesday May 22, 2012 was the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Cary Chamber of Commerce.

After some stellar appetizers and a couple of glasses of Merlot at Cary Arts Center, the crowd filed into the theater.

The Moonlighters Orchestra played big band classics on the stage. Angela Hampton from ABC-11 warmed-up the crowd for co-hosts Howard Johnson and Steve Zaytoun.

The production was modeled (loosely) after the old Tonight Show. Howard played Ed McMahon while Steve held down Johnny Carson’s job.

Steve brought his madcap style to the top banana role. And Howard did a fine job as the sideman.

All-Star Line Up of Guests

Of course, any talk show is about the guests. Johnny and Ed Howard and Steve got some great guests for their retrospective of the Cary Chamber.

Jerry Miller and Dick Ladd talked about the early days of the Chamber and Jerry explained a little about starting the first Lazy Daze festival. The sequence ended with a rapid-fire montage of dozens and dozens of Jerry Miller’s drawings around and about Cary.

The band played and former Mayor Koka Booth came out and waved to the crowd.

Then Howard recognized former chairmen (and chairwomen) of the Chamber – almost two dozen people stood up in the audience. It was a pretty impressive display of Cary’s tradition of leadership.

John Sall

The next guest was John Sall, a co-founder of SAS.

Dr. Sall talked about the early days at SAS and how they picked Cary based on a statistical analysis of where all the employees lived. The center point was Cary. “But we got it all wrong,” Sall quipped. “Cary was a place to live, not a place where people worked.”

The bedroom community was turning into a boardroom community.

Cary’s Most Decorated Veteran

After John Sall, Colonel Hal Shook came out to chat with Steve and Howard.

Steve asked Colonel Shook to describe flying over Normandy Beach as a fighter pilot on June 6, 1945. “Low clouds,” Shook said, “but then they parted. I could see about 7,000 ships, all near the beach. The guns from the battleships were all firing at once, it looked like a line of fire on the water.”

A Proclamation

The Steve and Howard show resumed with a humorous video in which Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht tries to beg off the event in favor of a little tennis.

Then the Mayor came out (tennis racket in hand) and read a proclamation from the Town Council congratulating the Chamber on 50 years of success.

The Ashworths

The last guests of the evening were the Ashworths – Ralph, Gary and Paul.

Steve started by talking to Ralph. “My first job was behind the counter at Ashworth’s,” Steve said. “You paid me two bucks an hour.”

“I think I paid too much,” Ralph said.

Gary talked about playing in the Town band, and Steve picked on him for his cluttered office. Paul talked about his love of bow ties and how grateful he is to work in the business started by his mother and father. Ralph, Gary and Paul all did their time as chairmen of the Chamber.

“Looking back on fifty years of Chamber history,” Steve asked Ralph, ”what’s your advice for the future?”

“It’s about attitude,” Ralph said. “Be positive.”

The Ashworths left the stage to a huge round of applause. Howard and Steve traded banter for a moment, but were interrupted when Cary Police Chief Pat Bazemore burst into the theater. Without so much as a howdy-do, she cuffed Zaytoun and led him off stage. Howard smoothly slid into Steve’s chair. He looked good as top banana.

The Second 50 Years

The house lights came up and we wandered out into the night. The next 50 years in the history of the Chamber had begun.

The show made me proud of my Chamber membership, brief though it has been. I found out it’s more than just an organization. It’s an idea.

Cary, NC – It’s been another exciting week in Cary. Top stories from the week just past: Election Day Vote on Tuesday, National Train Day and Lori Bush on What Makes Austin So Great.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

• Weekend Events: B-52s at Booth Amphitheatre and More
• Preston Walk Block Party – Next Wednesday
• Lori Bush: What Makes Austin So Great?

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

• Music This Week: Concert Singers and Children’s Choir
• Cary SuperSkippers Make Team USA
• Money Matters: Top 4 Steps To Retirement Savings

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

• This Week in Cary Business

Monday, May 7, 2012

• Harold’s Blog: Cary Chamber Intercity Visit to Austin
• National Train Day: Coming to Cary on Saturday May 12
• A Night at the RailHawks

Sunday, May 6, 2012

• Election Day: Vote on Tuesday May 8
• Wines for Mother’s Day
• Technology Video: Evolution of the Moon

Stats

In the last seven days, CaryCitizen had 9,980 web views and 6,831 email opens for a readership of 16,811 per week.

Our ad space had 29,930 exposures in the last week.

This Week’s Sponsors

Thanks to our generous advertisers and sponsors this week.

• Paisan’s Italian Ristorante
• Preston Walk Block Party
• New Neighbor Welcome Service
• Cary Swim Club
• Thai Spices & Sushi
• Garden Supply Company
• Citizen Websites
• Studio 180 Salon
• Triangle Wine Company

Contact Jimmy Orban if you’d like to support our brand of community news and get in front of the largest online news audience in Cary.

Cary, NC – Next Wednesday, family fun is what’s on tap at Preston Walk’s Summer Block Party in Cary.

Preston Walk Block Party

Everyone knows where Preston Walk is located, but not everyone knows they know it.

Panera Bread, Ginza Steakhouse and Rockwell Grill headline the red brick shopping center on Cary Parkway just south of Park West at the corner of James Jackson. Know you know where it is? Still not sure? See a map.

Band, Food, Bounce House

The Summer Block Party, from 5:30-8:30 PM, is an evening of family fun including a band, food and various entertainments. Kids activities include face painting and a bounce house. Mimi the Clown will be handing out sfree voucher to Henry’s Gelato. Enjoy a beer or wine from Sip…a Wine Store.

Cary, NC – Other editors have notebooks. I have a SIM card. Here are some highlights in pictures from the week past in Cary.

3 Kinds of Radishes

Radishes are one of the first spring vegetables you can plant. Quick and easy to grow, they are appearing now in the Cary area farm markets in amazing and tasty colors and shapes.

For me, that’s one the best things about farm markets – the fruits and vegetables are seasonal. Get ‘em now or they’re gone.

Read more about Cary’s farm stands and markets.

Wake Med Soccer Park

There has been lots going on at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary over the last few days.

On Thursday, Major League Soccer president Mark Abbott visited. He was joined by RailHawks president Curt Johnson, NASL Commissioner David Downs and Traffic Sports USA VP Aaron Davidson. Traffic Sports, based in Brazil, owns the RailHawks.

While an MLS franchise isn’t coming to the Triangle anytime soon, Abbott’s visit is an affirmation of the successful program the RailHawks are building.

L->R David Downs (NASL) and Mark Abbott (MLS)

In other Wake Med Soccer Park news, the RailHawks opened their home season with a 4-4 tie against the Atlanta Silverbacks.

Finally, readers might be interested to see some of the progress on construction at the park.

New northside bleachers have been installed. And, the superstructure for a new tier is in place on the east side of the field.

Behind the main stadium, Field 2 has been completely plowed and graded for an anticipated turf rejuvenation. Just two weeks ago, the polo ponies were cantering in the grass on this field.

Make a Wish

On Saturday, Hendrick Cary Auto Mall had a “wish send off party” for a 4-year-old from Johnston County, sponsoring a family trip to DisneyWorld. There were gifts and cake, lots of people singing and cheering, and Mickey Mouse was there, too. It was great fun.

Throughout April, for any Make A Wish Foundation supporter who test drives a car, Hendrick Cary will donate $25 to Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina on their behalf.

7 O’Clock Rock on Academy

CaryCitizen photographer Brooke Meyer had these photos of the first-ever 7 O’Clock Rock in downtown Cary on his SIM card .

A small but enthusiastic crowd turned out. A number of vendors were there and a few stores stayed open, reporting brisk business.

This could turn out to be a great event if the Town did a better job publicizing and promoting it. Let’s hope they work more closely with community organizations and businesses next time around.

Story by Lindsey Chester, photos by Brooke Meyer.

Cary, NC – This past Friday, we had a look inside the Jones Foye House at the corner of Dry and Academy Streets in Downtown. Ed Gawf, Downtown Development Manager for Cary, was showing the property to Heart of Cary Association members to stimulate interest in leasing the historic home.What we found was a charming, and surprisingly well maintained interior, despite the conditions seen from the exterior.

The house has a beautiful central hallway with soaring 12 foot ceilings and lots of the original molding and wood trim surrounding old fireplaces and doorways. There is also a funky addition at the rear of the house where a code regulated handicap accessible bathroom and kitchen area were added more recently.

What Kind of Business Would Have You Here?

The historic home, dating from 1896 was purchased by the Town of Cary last year for $600,000 in September. The Town opened the house to the public for the first time in hopes that interested parties could start to visualize new uses for the building.

The town plans to lease the space to the “right party who will add something to this corner”, situated directly across from the new Cary Arts Center and the vacant acreage the Town is accumulating  across Academy Street.

Ideas abounded on Friday: a restaurant, art museum, art gallery, coffee house, library, office space, or the right retail.

There are currently 5 main rooms on the first floor with the small funky “kitchen” space at the back. There is also a low ceilinged upstairs space, previously used for office and storage. The lot is large (nearly half an acre), with driveway access on both Academy and Dry. No area is currently paved for parking, but the lot is graded and level.

So how about it entrepreneurs? Make Ed an offer he can’t refuse!

Pictures: Jones Foye House

Brooke Meyer shot photos of the Jones Foye House last week including some of the other rooms:

Story and t-shirt designs by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Spring is in the air, and its time to show your Cary pride with our new line of Chickens ‘n Bees t-shirts. All offerings are available in the CaryCitizen Online Store.

Chicken ‘N Bees

“Chicken ‘N Bees” sounds disturbingly like a recipe story. But it’s not.

This is a story about Spring Apparel with a Cary message.

The message is: joy, pride, and have a little fun.

Home of the Honey Bee

Beekeeping in Cary has been in the news recently with Town Council considering action that would make it easier have a hive in Cary.

In response to an overwhelming call from citizens, we’ve produced this Home of the Honey Bee t-shirt for Spring 2012.

This shirt is safe for everyone, even if you’re allergic to bees.

Chicken: Pets or Dinner?

Meanwhile, Town Council is also considering action on the Chicken front. No, it’s not (yet) legal to have backyard chickens in Cary, but this shirt violates no national, state, local or HOA laws.

Our Chicken Series includes three shirts:

• I Am Not a Nugget
• Chicken Dinner
• Original Home of the Chicken

Our Original Home of the Chicken t-shirt actually features a rooster. The ordinance under consideration would not allow you to keep roosters in your subdivision. Unless they’re on a t-shirt.

Respect for Agriculture

It’s good to see Town Council and the community interested in questions of agriculture.

Farming has historically been a part of Cary. But does it fit in a highly-educated, high-tech community?

Pick your t-shirt and celebrate a town that’s not afraid to take on the big questions.

From the blog of Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, covering the week through February 26, 2012. 

Cary, NC – This week was a busy week with a lot of late nights.

Mayors, Hurricanes and Bees

Monday I joined the mayors of Wake County at a Carolina Hurricanes game. Ten out of the twelve Wake County mayors were present. While it was mostly a social event I did talk with mayors about various issues. For example, I found out that Mayor Matheny of Zebulon was a beekeeper and we talked about the issues related to beekeeping. It was a good event and the Canes slaughtered the Capitals 5-0.

Tuesday started with phone calls to council members about the agenda for the upcoming regular council meeting. I was able to contact all council members except Robison to hear their concerns and questions. Most of the questions and concerns were related to the staff proposed beekeeping ordinance. One council member told me that the beekeepers association had said they would show up in force.

Move into Conference With Durham Schools?

Another issue brought up by a council member was the concern that the North Carolina High School Athletic Association was going to move two Cary high schools (GHHS & PCHS) into a conference with Durham Schools. The council member wanted to “pink slip” a proposal to staff to draft a resolution opposing this Athletic conference restructuring. The “pink slip” is a term used by council to add an item to the agenda. It takes a council member and a sponsor to put an item on the agenda. Of course, items can always be added during the meeting if the council votes to add it to the agenda.

Later Tuesday I met with management, directors, legal, and administrators to go over the agenda. I was joined by Mayor Pro-Tem Adcock. We reviewed each item and discussed the beekeeping concerns and questions. My prediction was that the council meeting would go until 9 PM based on the projected number of speakers and items on the agenda.

Remarks at Cultural Resources Volunteer Banquet

After the agenda meeting I headed over to the Herb Young Center for the Parks Recreation and Cultural Resources volunteer banquet. There were at least a couple hundred folks in attendance. After dinner I gave a few remarks before the guest speaker, an ambassador from the North Carolina Symphony. In my remarks I made the following points:

- Cary is great because of its people
- Volunteers are a precious resource
- Over 400 people help annually at major town events
- Thanked all volunteers for making Cary one of the greatest places to live in America

After remarks I was joined by Council members Smith and Frantz as we handed out eight awards and then stayed for a few photos. It was another great volunteer event and I was proud to have even a small part.

County and Town Business

Wednesday started with a meeting of the Western Wake Partners Policy Advisory Committee. This committee is made up of mayors and town managers from Apex, Cary, and Morrisville. Our work is focused on the building, financing and operations of the Western Wake Wastewater Management Facility. In this meeting we heard reports from staff and voted on contracts related to construction. Our next meeting is scheduled for March 28th.

I next met with town manager Shivar in our weekly meeting to go over current events in the town. We talked about a variety of issues none of which were of the emergency nature.

Later Wednesday I had dinner with a business owner to talk about a variety of issues related to living, running a business and politics in Cary. It was very important to hear about the economic situation from a business owner’s point of view. One interesting note was that there are a lot of businesses that would like to expand but just can’t get a loan.

Davis and High House Multi-Family Project

Thursday I met with the Planning Director, planning staff, council member Bush, and Mayor Pro-Tem Adcock to get an update on the Bradford project at Davis Drive and High House. This is the controversial mixed use project that was approved in 2007 that propelled me and others into office. Here is some of the information I gathered from the meeting:

• The first phase is moving forward and will include 390 multi-family units and roughly 65,000 square feet of commercial.
• Council will have no decision in this process.
• This phase will like not trigger the additional traffic signals needed on High House or on Davis Drive. This fact concerns me especially since traffic already backs up well past where these lights will be installed.
• The remaining phase of Office/Commercial can be delayed indefinitely. This basically means what is being built is essentially a multi-family project.
• The remaining phase could be sold and built with any type of commercial such as a drug store, fast food, or other undesirables.
• This project will be built at the same time Searstone is being built across the street.

One interesting tidbit. Either Searstone or Bradford will be responsible for road improvements at Cary Parkway and High House. This will include adding turn lanes. Anyone that is familiar with that intersection knows there is limited space due to the clock tower and decorative walls.

I am very concerned about the projects that will soon be under construction at Davis Drive and High House. This is a very busy intersection now and I am concerned that it will be overwhelmed with this new construction. In addition, the potential negative traffic impacts for the entire area are very concerning.

Council Meeting Thursday

Thursday night was the regularly scheduled council meeting. The majority of the time was spent in the Public Hearing on amendments to the Land Development Ordinance. One particular item was related to beekeeping. Several people spoke about this issue and council had a lengthy discussion. Council decided to send the proposed amendments to the Planning and Zoning Board for their review except for the beekeeping. They asked staff to review this item separately and bring it back to council with recommendations after working with groups related to beekeeping. My guess is that council will decide to make this a permitted use.

The council also asked staff to create a resolution opposing the realignment of Panther Creek, Green Hope, and other high schools into a different athletic conference. We will vote on this at our next meeting. We ended the council meeting at 8:58 which was within two minutes of my prediction. Not bad

Heart of Cary Ashworth Awards

Friday night my wife and I attended the first Heart of Cary Ashworth Awards dinner. This is the first, of what I hope, will be an annual award for citizens involved in our downtown. The Emcee for the evening was Steve Zaytoun who set the tone for a night of fun and laughter. Speakers included the Chamber President, the Cary downtown manager, the Dorcas ministry Executive Director, council member Robinson, and me.

Theme songs were played as we approached the podium. Mine was the Twilight Zone theme.

The meal was fantastic but I had to skip one course and certain beverages because of Lent. Can you guess what I gave up for Lent? The event itself was a blast and a fun time was had by all including the award winners Ralph and Daphne Ashworth. Ralph and Daphne are icons in Cary and have spent their lives making Cary a better place. God bless them for all they have done for Cary.

Notifications, Cary a Tree City, Fatal Crash

There were several notifications sent out this week including one from the Chief Executive of the Arbor Day Foundation congratulating Cary on being named a Tree City USA community. I am proud that I live in a community where planting and nurturing trees is a priority.

Other notifications included emails from staff. The intersection of Pinnacle Drive in southern Cary at Holly Springs Road will close on February 27 and will remain closed through March 30. This is necessary to complete sewer line improvements along Holly Springs Road.

Staff also gave a follow up to the tragic fatal crash at Chatham Street and Cary Parkway. The driver of the Dodge sedan will face speeding charges as a result of the Cary Police Department’s investigation into the tragic event that claimed two lives.

Media and My Trip to D.C.

Other emails this week included a response to an inquiry by the local newspaper.

The reporter asked staff about our trip to Washington DC last week: “Could you please send over a bit of info on the federal trip? I’m interested in the final cost as well as your schedule.” Could it be that they are looking for another negative angle to a positive story once again?

For your information, the response from staff about the cost was: “The mayor, manager and I attended all of the meetings.  The cost of the trip, including airfare, hotel and all other expenses was $2,449.91.”

It is important to understand that Cary has received millions in grants over the years. We believe our annual trips to Washington have been a significant factor in that. Please read last week’s blog for details about this year’s trip.

Bees and Qs

The beekeeping issue generated a lot of questions this week, some related to planning and some related to legal. Here is the planning staff’s response to questions:

The existing Land Development Ordinance (LDO) provisions come from Chapter 12 and Chapter 5 and include (1) the definition of agricultural products (which includes bees) and (2) the table of uses, where agricultural activities are only allowed in the R-80, R-40, and R-20 districts as a commercial activity.  Thus, there is no guidance on beekeeping as an accessory use as part of residential living.  This, much more than the number of complaints, was the impetus for staff to bring something forward to clearly deal with the topic once and for all (hopefully), since we receive both complaints and inquiries about this use.

The LDO requires that “… the Planning Director shall initiate an amendment to this Ordinance if the particular use or category of use(s) is likely to be common or to recur frequently, or that omission of specific inclusion and reference to this Ordinance is likely to lead to public uncertainty and confusion.”

We also agree that the e-mail writer’s conclusion that vegetable gardens are illegal is not correct.  The LDO explicitly allows vegetable gardens as a normal, accessory use of residential property in Cary.

As far as the general issue of making land use determinations is concerned, zoning code administration typically relies upon a conservative approach whereby land uses which are not specifically mentioned in the code are deemed impermissible.  Richard Ducker from the UNC School of Government summarized it this way a few years ago:

Virtually all zoning ordinances are based on the premise that the ordinance shall list certain land uses that are permitted in each zoning district and that those uses not expressly permitted are prohibited. Indeed, the “permitted-use table” is a staple in most ordinances. If a new activity arises on the zoning scene that does not qualify as a listed permitted use, then it is presumed that the use is not allowed unless the ordinance is amended specifically to allow it.

Otherwise, the only option would be the alternative, and we would have to automatically consider such uses allowable.  Staff would guess that such an answer might not be the desired response when any new, previously-unregulated land use or activity emerges (you can insert your own example).

Here is another email from legal staff related to beekeeping and the legal implications:

It is apparent that this is a confusing, even sticky, concept – in part because beekeeping can be both an ‘industry’ and a hobby and is ‘agriculture’.  I do not know the specific LDO sections that Planning relied on in determining that apiaries are not a permitted use in residential districts, but can say generally that it is recognized that apiaries and related uses are subject to zoning regulations, frequently being defined as ‘agricultural’ uses that are prohibited in residential areas.  Bee keeping is also regulated under animal control authority.

In the North Carolina Bee and Honey Act of 1977, the state regulates the bee and honey industry, recognizing even small bee keepers as a part of that ‘industry’.  State law also defines ‘agriculture’ as ‘… the raising, management, care, and training of livestock, including horses, bees, poultry, and other animals for individual and public use, consumption, and marketing.’

Planning has said it is attempting to be proactive in proposing an LDO amendment after receiving several recent complaints about backyard apiaries and discovering that LDO provisions do not clearly define or address backyard bees in residential districts.

As to a vegetable garden established for personal use and enjoyment, the LDO permits gardens as ‘accessory uses’ to household living.  Planning explains that the LDO prohibits only the sale of produce from such gardens.

It will be interesting to see what recommendations come forward after all the study and investigation.

I received dozens of emails from citizens this week. Most of which were about bees. Other emails included complaints about chickens, abandoned bank owned homes, the realignment of Cary High schools into a different conference, and the Cary/Chatham County Joint Land Use Plan proposal.

Davis and High House PAC Letter on Jordan Lake

On the topic of the Joint Land Use Plan an individual from the Davis Drive and High House group sent out an email that included:

“Locating a development on Jordan Lake has severe future financial repercussions for Cary tax payers that have not been properly assessed.”

“The new development will worsen the problem by adding 1,000 to 5,000 TONS of sediment; 30 – 90 TONS of nitrogen; and 3-4 TONS of phosphorus per year!”

“The proposed Jordan Lake development will exacerbate and perpetuate Cary’s budget problems into the distant future.”

Unfortunately, these statements are misleading and not true. Cary is NOT working on a development project in Chatham County near Jordan Lake. Instead we are working on a joint land use plan with Chatham County. It is a plan how property owners can develop their property in the future. It is not a development proposal. This plan may or may not be approved and if it is approved may or may not be developed out in my lifetime which is fine with me. It is only a proposal for a plan. Another statement made was:

“Across the last 14 years, costs of growth in Cary have increased faster than revenue from growth, which explains the recent discussions of increasing town debt through bonds, raising property taxes, and large increases in water and sewage rates.”

While this statement is technically true, it implies that Cary will increase taxes because we haven’t accounted for growth. And that is absolutely false. This is again misleading. Cary’s revenue from growth comes through development fees. These fees have never been at 100% of cost of the impact of development to allow Cary to remain competitive with neighboring municipalities. This has ALWAYS been the case. We raised development fees the night I was sworn in December 2007 to the highest rates we could and still remain competitive. We have balanced our growth with infrastructure. Some of the pressure of capital costs is resulting from the fact that capital costs didn’t include operating costs. Regarding water and sewer rates, these increases are mostly to pay for a new sewer plant and a water plant expansion to serve the current and future businesses and citizens of Cary. It is extremely important that we not fall behind in infrastructure. It is my belief that any future increase in taxes will be to pay for new capital. That has not been decided. It will be put to the residents in form of a bond referendum.

Next week will include a few meetings and a couple of visits to elementary schools.

Well that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, March 4th. Please feel free to email me with a comment. Email all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org. Email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.

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Picture by FotoHal, taken in the parking lot of Green Hope High School on Wednesday 2/22/12, waiting for the teams to get home from Roxboro.

Story and photo by Lindsey Chester.

Cary, NC- Narong Sapsuwan, owner of Thai Spices and Sushi, came to Cary and opened his restaurant four years ago, but his journey began long before that.

Journey from Thailand

Narong’s sister had left Bangkok more than twenty years ago to “make her fortune”, and settled in the Berkeley area of California, where she opened her own restaurant, Thai Delight Cuisine. About ten years after that, she asked Narong if he could come to help her. He was married and had 2 children at the time, but made the move with his family to this country and eventually took over her business. He remodeled her restaurant and after 1-1/2 years his business improved about 50%.

He still owns that restaurant with his niece, and his sister still helps out. In fact Narong told me, he will travel to California next week to check up on things.

Choice Between Boulder and Cary

Four years ago, Narong started to think about expanding.   He visited fifteen cities that were listed as top places, finally making a choice between Boulder, Colorado and Cary, NC. When he found his current location at Preston Corners, the deal was sealed.

Narong moved first, renting an apartment adjacent to the shopping center. He left his family behind in California for 2 years, while he got started. He said when he opened in 2008 the economy was very tough to open a new business. He persevered and has survived and now business is picking up.

A Few Favorites

I frequent the restaurant for lunch and often choose a bento box. A Bento Box is a complete lunch, with salad, kimchee, spring roll, rice and a main dish (like House Curry with Chicken) all for under $10. They feature a Massaman curry shipped all the way form Bangkok, as authentic as it gets.

Other favorites include their incredibly fresh sushi. You can see the chef make his creations from most any seat in the house. One of the best are Spider Rolls, (Soft shell crab, asparagus, avocado and masago with spicy mayonnaise)  for just under $10.

Many Thai food lovers will order the Pad Thai, which is another one of our favorites. Their large platter is just under $10 and includes stir-fried thin rice noodles with ground peanuts, tofu, egg, scallions and bean sprouts. You’ll have plenty left to take home to enjoy the next day for lunch!

The staff is always friendly, and the atmosphere inside is an oasis from the usual strip mall box. With private booth and trickling fountain you will think you’ve left Cary. If you are lucky enough to live within 3 miles of the restaurant, they offer free delivery.

Go Local: Thai Sushi & Spices

Thai Spices and Sushi
Preston Corners Shopping Center
986 High House Rd (at Cary Parkway)
Cary, NC

http://thaispicesandsushi.com/

Story by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – This past year, we have reported on Downtown development with an eye to what the Town of Cary has purchased and developed.

In this article, we take a look at the independent businesses now open in the core area of downtown – chiefly Academy and Chatham Streets.

Unwine’d

The most recent addition to the Cary retail and dining scene is Unwine’d,  a wine bar located in the Olde Cary Commons building at the corner of Harrison and West Chatham Street.

Owner Scott Higgenbotham  opened his doors in mid December and immediately began offering Thursday night wine tastings from 5:30- 7 and offers live jazz music every Friday night. The location has 2 bar areas and a light menu served from 4- midnight, they are open Monday- Saturday. Scott promises it is a great place to have a meeting because he has free WiFi and will be adding a coffee option soon.

Soul Food Coming Soon

Another new spot soon to open is Ermer Jone’s soul food restaurant located at the former Chatham Street Cafe. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this is open by the end of January. We will post more info about this exciting development when we finally are able to catch up with the new establishment’s owner.

These most recent additions add to other businesses that we saw added to downtown in 2011. These include:

Lynn’s Treasure Chest

At Lynn’s Treasure Chest, owner Lynn Rogers sells gifts and offers classes. Lynn has recently partnered with Best Friend Pet Adoption (BFPA) to help owners adopt pets to their forever homes. Next door,  Belen Divine specializes in wedding gowns. They sell both new and used, can handle custom tailoring and just added their own line: “Carmen Belen”  . Both stores are located at 149 East Chatham formerly “Calvin’s Salon”.

Beautimous Beads

Bridgette Bordonaro opened Beautimous Beads in June after buying the former Bedazzeled store in the current location. Bridgette offers a wide array of custom beads, jewelry and gifts, classes and camps. The store is next to Ashworth’s Drug at 107 West Chatham Street.

Designed-to-Sold

Next door, Shanna Middleton relocated her real estate and staging company, Designed-To-Sold in December. Shanna offers more than a listing- she will assist sellers in staging their homes for a quick sale, and handles other interior design projects. We wrote about her outreach project  where her business renovated a home for a disabled couple in Raleigh last fall.

MMI Public Relations

Earlier last year, we reported about Patty Briguglio’s decision to move her PR company MMI to her new Downtown location at 223 East Chatham Street (story). With so many Cary clients, the location made a lot of sense. She has already become a vocal member of the downtown business circle.

Purple Polka Dot

The Purple Polka Dot (story) opened in June in the former Flower Cupboard house at 114 South Academy Street. Owner Kristin Gurganus does a great job keeping her windows cheery with colorful gift and furnishings displays.

Dorry’s Downtown

When The Food Factory left Cary for Duke University, everyone wondered what would we do about breakfast downtown? The answer was Dorry’s Downtown that opened up shortly thereafter, owned and operated by Ray Dorry. Ray is a former New Yorker but has lived in Cary for over 20 years. He knows his way around a deli sandwich!  They also have my new favorite: great egg and potato wrap sandwich that I get with a spinach tortilla. With free WiFi and open as early as 7:30 you can have an early morning meeting and be on your way. Dorry’s is located at 211 east Chatham Street.

Styles Fitness

This past April, Autumn Hibberd opened a new type of fitness studio. The business is called Styles Group Fitness and offers the intensity of a personal trainer with the lower cost of group classes. Located in the Chocolate Smiles building on West Chatham Street, members decide how many sessions they wish to attend per week and for how many months and are priced accordingly. Classes are offered Sunday- Friday and usually have 3-8 members. Classes are tailored to who attends and focus on strength and core training.

What’s Next?

These new and many other established businesses join the efforts that the Town of Cary has engaged in to create a vibrant Downtown Cary Experience. Rumors abound about a Pub, a coffee shop and other private investors.

CaryCitizen will be reporting on these developments as they occur. We hope we captured all the recent developments, but feel free to comment at the bottom of this story (online) if we missed something. Know of any other newcomers that will be opening soon? Email Lindsey Chester and she will be sure to meet the newcomers.

Story from staff reports. Photo by Hal Goodtree.

Cary, NC – Today, we introduce a column called Downtown Cary This Week.

Thursday: Ben Shivar at HoCA

On Thursday morning at 8, Town Manager Ben Shivar will be the guest speaker at the Heart of Cary Association monthly meeting.

Ben will undoubtedly focus on developments in the downtown area. The Town has been active in the last year buying property and making plans for a revival of this centrally important district.

Expect a lively crowd with some pointed questions, like the discussion last year about Inspections & Permitting.

Details

Heart Of Cary Association
Guest Speaker – Town Manager Ben Shivar

Thursday January 5, 2012 at 8 AM
Cary Chamber
307 North Academy Street
Cary, North Carolina 27513

Cost: Free

Friday: Jazz at Unwine’d

Just before Christmas, Unwine’d opened in Downtown Cary.

Thursday, they’ll be having a complimentary wine tasting. And on Friday, there’s jazz starting at 8.

Details

Unwine’d
Olde Cary Commons
201 W. Chatham Street
(corner of Harrison)
Cary, NC 27511